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About Geodyssey
Geodyssey is a small, high-quality, full-service specialist travel company.
We are:
- an owner-managed UK company, based in London
- long-established (since 1993)
- ATOL licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority
- members of AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators)
We offer:
- real in-depth knowledge of travel in the countries we offer
- a full design service to help you plan your holiday
- 24 hour support while you are on your holiday
- 100% financial protection for your money, come what may.
To contact us
Geodyssey is not an ordinary travel company and we hope you will find that this is more than an ordinary website. We hope it gives you an insight into what it is like to travel in each country, and the different ways you could choose to experience them.
An 'in-depth' travel service
Geodyssey started in 1993 as a specialist travel company for Venezuela, a country with which we fell in love some years before. We have long been the leading travel company for Venezuela in the UK, and perhaps the whole of Europe.
When many of our customers asked whether we could provide a similar service for other countries we decided that we would do so ... slowly.
We only offering our in-depth travel service after we have carried out a great deal of research and experienced for ourselves what works best in that country. This is not just a matter of sending someone with a clipboard on a whistle-stop tour of every hotel, or recruiting staff who once back-packed through the country in their gap year. It means building up an understanding from detailed research on the country itself and several lengthy initial visits backed by regular follow-ups. It means discarding tourist 'products' that may be heavily promoted, and searching out opportunities for authentic experiences that are genuinely rewarding, remarkable and 'real'.
So we add new destinations slowly, building up our knowledge and understanding, and working to expand each country's potential for our customers, while staying comfortably within its limitations.
We try to offer everything that is best about a country. Each is unique - what is best about one country is different from what is best about another, even if they are close neighbours. What we offer for each country is tailored and unique to that country - we do not operate to a formula that applies everywhere.
Value for money
The reason we get up in the morning is so that our customers can have great holidays. The most frequent comment on the trip reports that our customers fill in for us when they get home is
"this was the best holiday of my life".
.. THAT'S why we do this!
We aim to make your holiday budget work best for you. There is no point, we think, in visiting Latin America to stay in international style hotels, even though their towels may be fluffy and their mini-bars temptingly well-stocked.
In the search for authentic travel experiences, natural surroundings and genuinely characterful hotels, it is only sometimes necessary to pay a little more than one might have expected, but usually it is possible to spend a little less. When we are designing a holiday, that is what we aim for.
You will not find that travelling with Geodyssey is the cheapest way to visit a country, but by spending less you would certainly see less and perhaps have half the holiday you wanted.
Happy customers
Above all, we want you to have a great holiday.
We achieve very high levels of customer satisfaction. In recent years we have been in the top 10 for customer satisfaction among members of AITO (the Association of Independent Tour Operators), who are themselves a select group representing the finest specialist tour operators in the UK. This is a notable achievement when you consider that the destinations in which we specialise are not known for ease of travel. Yet almost all our clients rate their holidays as 'excellent'.
Do no evil. Try to do some good
Our philosophy remains to support local economies wherever possible, for example by staying at locally-owned and run hotels and guesthouses, and employing local guides. We don't bargain hard with local suppliers, we would rather pay the good ones a fair price and allow them to improve still further by sticking with them. We try to minimise any harmful impact on the natural environment and local cultures, and to encourage conservation wherever we can.
How you travel is your decision. We suggest you offset the carbon emissions generated by air travel but there is no compulsion. We are especially impressed by the work of The Rainforest Alliance, whose efforts to preserve the rainforest impact not only on emissions, but re-absorption of CO2, conservation, biodiversity, and local communities. When you return we may suggest opportunities to support local good causes, but this is entirely at your option.
› our Responsible Travel policy.
Truth in travel
We are delighted that Gillian Howe, Geodyssey's Managing Director, has been chosen for Condé Nast Traveler magazine's 'Special Agent List' as part of their 'Truth in Travel' campaign:
"This list represents those who have impressed me the most with their knowledge of specific destinations and types of travel. They also possess a certain degree of frankness, friendliness, taste, the willingness to work with a range of customers and budgets, and an understanding of the types of experiences that Condé Nast Traveler readers want.”
Wendy Perrin, Consumer News Editor, Condé Nast Traveler magazine
We couldn't have put it better ourselves.
24 hour support
It's good to know that when you book your holiday with Geodyssey you have the reassurance that if anything goes wrong while you are away you have a network of helpful, knowledgeable and resourceful people locally and here in the UK
Financial Protection
As members of AITO we protect ALL our customers money. For details:
Brochures
Order a brochure
Order your copy of one of our in-depth travel brochures, packed with inspiration and information.
› Order or download a brochure
Plan your holiday
Contact our specialists
For helpful friendly advice based on lots of on-the-ground experience:
› Phone for advice or drop us an email
Order a brochure
Order your copy of our in-depth brochures, packed with inspiration and information:
› Order or download a brochure
Contact our specialists
Geodyssey brings you an exclusive selection of thoughtfully designed holidays in amazing locations throughout our destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our holidays focus on what is natural, authentic, comfortable, stylish and affordable, and on what works best in each country. Our tailor-made holidays are individually designed by our experienced team on the basis of in-depth knowledge, a real enthusiasm for our destinations, and a desire to make sure we get it right for each and every customer. All our customers have 100% financial protection. All the land-based holidays on this website are exclusive to Geodyssey. Geodyssey is an independent company managed by its owners, based in London, founded in 1993.
